My wife and I stayed at La Valencia for 1 night for our anniversary last week and had a great experience. The service is the best we have ever experienced (better than any Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton or Mandarin Oriental). The hotel conceirge called a few days before our arrival and asked if there was anything we needed for our stay (special requests, reservations, etc). When we arrived a bell boy was very helpful and quickly got us checked in and bags to room. He was very nice and gave us helpful advice about the town on way to room. The room was great too. Very nicely furnished overlooking pool and partial ocean view. After we were settled in for a few hours, the concierge called again to find out if there was anything we needed to make our stay better. We had a great dinner around the corner at George's and when we returned to our room that evening, we were greeted with a bottle of champagne and chocolate coated strawberries from the manager. That was a very special touch since they knew it was our anniversary when we made reservation. When we checked out the next morning, the conceirge had printed out Google map directions for our stay the next night in Santa Barbara.

All in all, La Valencia is a great hotel with very personalized service that sets it apart from many of the other top hotels we've stayed at.

Only Downside - The bathroom was pretty small. But we can live with that since everything else was great.

I was nervous about staying here because I didn't know what to expect....after reviews...it seems it may be a hit or miss hotel...I got the room for $240 on hotels.com and we had a room in the west wing, it was updated and very nice. We recently were in Turks and Caicos at an amazing resort and have high standards, this was really nice and staff was great. If you are on a budget, stay some where cheaper!

I Had family from Florida staying for a week. I chose this hotel for it's location perfect for people who don't want to bother with a rental car but still want to see the sights & older people who can't walk very far but still want to enjoy themselves. Parking can be rough during the weekends but hotel has fair priced Valet. $7/guest and $20/overnight. There are also safe & convenient parking garages close by and some free street parking. I was nervous when I read some of the reviews & decided to tour for a closer inspection. Hotel has about 100 rooms & they are all different! This means there are some way better then others. I saw an ocean facing suite with a little living room and also looked at the Small Villas.(SO CUTE!) I had a great bellhop show me the rooms... he has worked there for more than a decade and gave me the best options for my situation. I needed a suite with two rooms and they only have suites with king/queen beds. There is 1 suite that has 2 queen beds but they were more than happy to offer a roll-away and most of their sofas are sleepers. This hotel was built in the 1920's! If you are looking for sleek and modern or new fung shui this hotel is NOT for you. This hotel is in the style of old Hollywood. The rooms are small and cozy... the hallways have vintage palm frond wallpaper, the same found at the Beverly Wilshire. The hotel elevator inside the main hotel lobby has a gate and an elevator operator to take you to your floor. It's very charming and a unique experience you won't find anywhere else. Real Vintage photos of 1920's Hollywood stars signed by the actors and actresses who stayed at the Hotel.
Back to my search for a room...
Bellhop took me to the Pacific Room. In the old days this room was the best in the Hotel. All the famous stars and socialites stayed in this room and it's been renovated quite nicely. I looked at this room because it had a separate bedroom with a full bathroom and then an incredible living-room bar, 1/2 bath and ocean view of the Cove area. This room was already booked. The bellhop told me that most return guests request the same rooms over and over. The set-up I chose were two connecting rooms. Rooms number 103 and 104. They had a connecting door - when opened it turned the room into a great mini-suite. Here is the low-down. The ocean facing room (#104) is a very small but cozy room. Stunning view of the ocean and coast line, hotel dining patio and we even saw a couple getting married from my window. So room 104 is beautiful but VERY small. Great Bed, big flat screen Super small but nice marble bathroom. Perfect for single travelers or cozy weekend for two. Only thing about staying on the first floor is that there is a banquet hall on the lower level and wedding music can run late on the weekends. (Didn't bother me) Summer there is BACK TO BACK WEDDINGS - this can be a pain for some guest so be specific about your dates with the reservation specialist @ the hotel. Room 103 was the BOMB! The Best Bang for your buck. Beautiful room facing the next hotel wall- they are doing some ugly construction but it's hidden by great shutters and there was no construction work going on during our week long stay! The focal point window DOES look out on to the ocean. You'll be able to see the sunsets but it's not a full ocean view that some people crave. This room also has a flat screen that tilts off the wall. There is a small desk, two side tables, small sitting area, and dining table. There were complementary fruit baskets & wine. The BEST of room 103 was by far the COMPLETELY updated marble spa-style bathroom. Complete with two sinks, vanity, plenty of storage, plush robes and the kicker and DEEP DEEP DEEP relaxing tub. SO GREAT!! I'd rent the room again just for the bathroom. You won't be disappointed with this room. I'd rather have a big tub then an ocean view. Really - tub is big enough for two! This hotel is so great, just come with an open mind and you'll have an incredible time. If you want a cookie cutter hotel go to a Super 8. The living-room lobby has great Tapas & Check out the Restaurant NINE/TEN and Roppongi... YUM!

Beautiful area, hit or miss hotel.
The room we were given was right on Prospect Street so we heard every bit of the night life till everyone hit the sack. The room decor and linens were dated and in need of an update. I would not recommend the hotel. You are going to pay a good amount in this area, I would look elsewhere.